Closed conduit for electric railways



(No Model.)

G. J. KINTNER. CLOSED GQNDUIT EOE ELECTRIC EAILWAYS.

No. 498,852. Patented June 6, 1893.

UNITED STATES ATENT E'EicE@ OI-IARLES J. KINTNER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO GUSTAV STAHL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOSED CONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,852, dated June 6, 1898.

A Application filed .True 2'7, 1892. Serial No. 438.114. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. KINTNEE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is aspecication.

My invention is directed particularly to improvements in that type of electric railways known in the art as closed conduit systems in which the current carrying main conveying the electricity to the moving car or vehicle is inclosed in an insulating conduit and provided with sectional feeders or circuit closing devices normally out of circuit with the current main, and so located that a passing car or vehicle successively closes circuit through said feeders or circuit-.closing devices and again permits them to assume their normal or disconnected condition.

My invention has for its objects, first, to simplifythe construction and thereby cheapen the cost of this type of apparatus; second, to make such a system more secure in its insulation and less liable to damage from any eX- isting causes; third, to prevent as far as possible current leakage from the moving conduotors carried by the car or vehicle to earth or in any manner through the stationary conductors or mains while in use; fourth, to so construct and arrange the circuit closing devices which constitute the normally open feeders that they are easy of access and can be repaired at all times without in any way impairing the traffic of the road-way; fifth, to accomplish any and all results naturally attributable to the entire apparatus or any of its parts as hereinafter described, the` especial points of novelty which I claim as of my invention being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In order that my invention may be fully understood reference is had to theaccompanying drawings in all of which like letters of reference represent like parts wherever used.

Figure l of the drawings is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the body of my improved system of conduit electric railways, parts thereof being shown in elevation and the trolley shoe or bar carried by one of the cars or vehicles being illustrated also in elevation. Fig. 2 isa vertical transverse section taken through the left hand portion of Fig. 1 and as seen looking from left to right at that figure. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken through Fig. 2 and as seen looking from the top toward the bottom of that figure. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken through Fig. 3 showing the circuit closing devices and operative parts thereof in vertical elevation. Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the circuit controlling devices shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 and in which springs are used to replace the weights illustrated in those figures. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional. view taken through one of the trolley shoes or bar supports shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating my novel manner of maintaining perfect insulation between a trolley supporting arm and the sides of the slitted conduit into which it, or they project.

Referring now to the drawings in detail: O represents a slitted conduit entirely similar to conduits of this general nature used in cable railways, and O is an axially supported iron conduit in which is located the current main w. This conduit O made preferably of iron is divided at intervals of from twentyfive to fifty feet into two branches and is sustained at these points by chairs F resting within the body of the slitt-ed conduit C and directly over sleepers beneath the road-way, see Figs. l, 2 and 3. The two-part branches of the conduit at these points are provided with switch boxes B B on the inner side of which are located metallic conducting plates p p thoroughly insulated from the metallic portions of the switch boxes, said contact plates being connected directly electrically with the divided branches of the conducting main or lead w, see Fig. 3, and resting directly under but normally out of contact with two pairs of yielding contact springs e e carried at the opposite ends of a rotatable metallic shaft f V journaled on opposite sides in the inner insulated facings of the switch bones B B, the central portion of said shaft being of bellcrank form and provided at its upper portion with a metallic or conducting roller t.

b b are metallic balls or weights of suffi- IOO cient size to maintain the contact springs e e normally in the position shown in Fig. 4 and out of contact with the plates p p.

The switch boxes B B are preferably filled with oil, such as petroleum, and of su'flicient depth to cover the journal bearings and the conducting springs c c, thereby thoroughly insulating the contact plates p pand furnishing lubrication for the journal bearings of the shaftf. The conduit C may also be filled with oil if preferred but this is not deemed essential if the insulation at the switch or junction boxes B B be maintained perfect as it would be with the necessary supply of oil.

I/V represents one of the car wheels resting upon the track R, a its axle and b a contact brush for conveying the current from the propelling motor M by the conductor w to the rail R and to earth.

SW is the operating switch R is a rheostat and Il is an electrical heaterof any well known form disposed in as small a space as possible in an incasing shield about the supports which sustain the conduct-ing trolley or shoe S in the slit of the conduit,there being shown two of these heaters located in multiple arc relation with the propelling motor M.

An enlarged View of the trolley standard A and heater II is shown in Fig. 6, I being insulating material which will withstand great heat. rlhe trolley supports A are insulated in the best possible manner from the heater H so as to give the greatest electrical resistance possible between the trolley shoe S and the metallic portion of the slitted conduit. It is the function of the heater Il to keep those portions of the trolley supporting arms A dry and always at such temperature as will prevent any current leakage between the trolley shoe and the conduit. rlhe conductor w is insulated and passes through the trolley shoe support and is connected directly to the shoe S at the forward end thereof, there being no electrical connection between the rear support and the motor. The trolley shoe S may be provided with any desired means for lifting it out of the slitted conduit.

It is believed that the operation of the ap'- paratus is entirely obvious in view of the description of the several parts thereof, it being apparent that as the car advances from left to right as shown in Fig. l the current will pass from the dynamo D through the main or lead w to that one of the switching devices which is borne down by the shoe S in such manner as to bring the contact springs e into electrical contact with the conducting plates p so that the current is conveyed through the branch lead, the trolley roll t, the shoe S, conductor w', switch SW, motor M, brush b, axle a and wheel \V by rail R back to the dynamo, it being apparent that the shoe S must rest upon the next trolley roll t in advance before it leaves the one last pressed down or moved forward.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated another way of maintaining the contact springs e e normally out of contact with the insulated conducting plates p p. In this tigureof the drawings the weights b h are replaced by one or more pairs of strong spiral springs g g having their outer ends attached directly to the inner facings of the switch boxes B B and their inner ends attached to the opposite sides of downwardly projecting arms corresponding to the arms which carry the balls bb in Fig. 2. It will be understood that the weight of the balls b b or the strength of the springs g g need only be sufficient to maintain the contact springs e e normally out of contact with the plates p p after the trolley shoe S has passed over the roller t as clearly shown in Fig. l. By thus arranging the circuit controlling switching devices so that the pressure of the trolley shoe S is brought to bear equally upon the opposite ends of the supporting shaft f, I produce a structure of great mechanical strength, and by utilizing a double set of contact springs e e with a divided main conductor w and the independent contact plates p p I obtain increased certainty of operation with the advantage that either pair of contact springs e e may be repaired at any time without interfering with the operation of the apparatus by obtaining access to the switch boxes B B through the hinged covers C2 C2 as will be apparent on inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawings. It will also be apparent that by reason of the construction of the circuit closing devices seen in Figs. I and 2 the car may advance in a reverse direction.

I do not limit myself to the special details of construction herein shown and described for accomplishing the results stated as it is obvious that many of the features might be materially departed from and still come within the scope of my claims hereinafter made.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

I. In an electric railway system a current main or lead insulated throughout its length and provided with sets of inclosed electrical contacts located in multiple arc branches thereof, in combination with multiple arc circuit closing devices normally out of contact with said inclosed contacts and adapted to be brought into contact therewith in succession and a moving car or vehicle provided with an electric motor, circuit connections and means for closing said contacting devices in sequence as the car advances substantially as described.

2. In an electric railway system a current main or lead insulated throughout its length and provided with continuously closed multiple arc branches at stated points; fixed electrical contacts located in said branches; normally disconnected contacting devices therefor operatively connected with means for bringing them into connection with the fixed contacts,in combination with a moving vehicle provided with an electric motor, electrical IOO IIC

lfl.

circuit connections, and means carried 'also by the vehicle for closing the circuit in succession through the movable circuit closing devices and the motor substantially as described.

8. In an electric railway system a current main or lead insulated throughout its length and divided into two branches at each of a se ries of points; inclosed fixed contacts in each branch; inclosed movable contacts located in close proximity to the fixed contacts and operatively connected to mechanism for moving them into contact therewith; a moving vehicle carrying a propelling electric motor having circuit connections with a trolley adapted to bring the movable contacts into operative connection with the fixed contacts as the car advances substantially as described.

4E. In a system of electric railways an insulated main or lead located in or adjacent toa slitted conduit; a series of inclosed fixed contacts; a series of normally open movable contacts adjacent thereto, each carried by a shaft journaled at or near the opposite sides of the conduit, said shaft having an upwardly extending arm located in the path of a trolley arm or shoe carried by a moving vehicle having'an electric motor4 provided with circuit connections through the motor, the trolley arm, the shaft and the moving and fixed contacts as the car advances substantially as described.

5. In an electric railway system an insulated current main having inclosed exposed fixed contacts at statedintervals, one or more pairs of inclosed movable contacts, each carried by a shaft having journal bearings on opposite sides of the slit in a surrounding slitted conduit and a weighted arm lying in the path of a trolley shoe or arm extending into the slit substantially as described.

6. In an electric railway system an insulated current main divided into branches at stated points and electrically connected to inclosed contact plates, in combination with sets of inclosed movable contact springs, each set carried by a shaft having journal bearings on opposite sides of the slit in the surrounding conduit and means for maintaining the contact springs normally out of contact with the contact plates substantially as described.

7. In an electric railway system a circuit closing device consisting of a shaft journaled in the opposite sides of the conduit and provided with movable contact springs, and one or more fixed contact plates and means for holding the contact springs normally out of contact with the contact plate or plates substantially as described.

8. In an electric railway system a current main or lead insulated throughout its length and provided with inclosed exposed contact plates at stated intervals; a series of pairs of circuit closing springs, each operatively connected to a shaft journaled inA the opposite sides of a surrounding slitted conduit and each provided with an upwardly extending arm and means forholding the contact springs normally out of contact with the fixed contact plate or plates substantially as described. 9. In an electric railway system a slitted conduit; a current main inclosed in a conduit located inside the slitted conduit and supported on standards; `circuit closing devices located in switch boxes at stated intervals, said circuit closing devices consisting of pairs of contact springs connected to the opposite ends of shafting having journal bearings on opposite sides of the slit in the conduit, they,` the contact springs being normally out of connection with inclosed fixed contact plates electrically connected to the main; each shaft being provided with an upwardly extending arm located in vertical alignment with the slit of the conduit substantially as described. 10. A current main having continuously closed branches at stated intervals in combination with circuit closing devices adapted to close circuit through either or both branches and a moving circuit closing device carried by a car substantially as described.

1l. In an electric railway, a slitted conduit, a car carrying a trolley shoe or contact arm or bar suspended through said slit and an electric heater adapted to keep the exposed parts of the trolley shoe next the slit dry sub-V IOO of the shoe heated which is adjacent to the conducting portions of the slitted conduit substantially as described.

13. In an electric railway system an insulated current main divided into two branches at stated intervals and provided with fixed and movable contacts for said branches, said contacts being inclosed in water tight switch boxes, in combination with means for connecting the movable contacts with the fixed contacts through a trolley having electrical connections with a motor on board of a moving vehicle.

14. In a system of electric railways a slitted conduit inclosing or adjacent to a current main or lead; a car having a conducting trol- IIO ley arm or bar extending into said slitted conduit and adapted to make contact with said main electrically in combination with an electric heater adjacent to or carried by the trolley arm or bar and adapted to keep that portion of it dry which is located adjacent to the conducting portions of the conduit substantially as described.

15. In a system of electric railways a car carrying a propelling motor and an electric heater, the latter being carried by a trolley arm 0r bar extending into a slitted conduit and so located as to keep the arm dry at those points where it passes through the slit of the conduit substantially as described.

16. In an electric railway system an insulated current main di vided into two branches with pairs of movable contact points normally at stated intervals and provided with ixed out of circuit therewith andoperatively conand movable contacts in said branches, said nected to means for bringing them into concontacts being immersed in oil substantially tact with the fixed contact points, the mov- 5 as described. ing and the fixed contacts being immersed in 15 17. In an electric railway system a current oil substantially as described. main or lead insulated throughout its length CHARLES J. KINTNER. and divided at stated intervals into two Vitnesses: branches, said branches being connected to F. JARVIS PATTEN, to exposed Xed contact points, in combination M. M. ROBINSON. 

